Open Data in Action: Researchers, funders and industry highlighted the importance of Life Science Open data for innovation

About 100 participants - researchers, policy makers, research infrastructure operators, industry representatives - gathered last week in Brussels for the ELIXIR Conference 'Open Data in Action' to discuss the impact of life science Open Data on innovation.

The Conference opened with a speech by Robert-Jan Smits, Director-General of the Research and Innovation DG of the European Commission. Highlighting the role of Open Data and Open Access policies in the European Commission's Horizon 2020 funding programme, Mr Smits informed about the goal to make data management plans a requirement for all Horizon 2020 grants.

Niklas Blomberg, ELIXIR Director, and Pierre Meulien, Executive Director of the Innovative Medicine Initiative, both presented their organisations, giving concrete examples how open data in the life sciences drives innovation and the knowedge economy. Barend Mons, the Chair of the High level expert Group on Open Science Could talked about some of the challenges in enabling and supporting open science principles in European research.

The participants also saw presentations of the SIB-Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics by Ron Appel, the EBI Literature services by Jo McEntyre, and the Human Protein Atlas by Tove Alm. The panel discussion - moderated by Sabina Leonelli - focussed on the value of Open Data from the perspectives of users, industry, operators and funders.

Presentations

Session I: Open Data for Innvation, Chair: Anna Wetterbom

Rober-Jan Smits, Director-General, Research and Innovation DG, Euroepan CommissionOpen Innovation, Open Science and Open to the World: Horizon 2020 in an ERA of Innovation